One of the biggest things autistic individuals need from you, from me, from parents, from therapists isn’t more correction or teaching. It’s someone truly noticing them. This week on Making Sense of Autism, Susan Golubock and I had one of the most emotional conversations we’ve had in a long time about self-awareness, people pleasing, connection, and what actually helps autistic individuals want to communicate and connect. Hearing Sue describe these experiences in her own word

You've tried everything. You brought in their favorite topic. You changed the activity. You adjusted your approach, your tone, your timing. You've read the books, attended the trainings, and genuinely care about getting this right. And still — they seem somewhere else entirely. Disengaged. Unreachable. Like nothing you do is landing. Before you question your skills, your patience, or your instincts — consider this: the problem may not be engagement at all. It may be the frame

What If We’ve Been Misreading Autistic Play? You might have seen it…—or experienced it yourself. Doing the same thing over and over.Lining things up.Dropping, spinning, repeating. And somewhere along the way, many of us were taught: 👉 “That’s not functional.” 👉 “We need to redirect that.” 👉 “That’s not how play is supposed to look.” But what if that’s not the full picture? What Looks Repetitive Might Be Meaningful From an autistic perspective, play often has a purpose that

Understanding why your child says "no"

Have you ever misread an autistic individual’s behavior? Most of us have. Not because we’re uncaring — but because we’ve been taught to look at behavior first instead of the differences underneath it. And then Susan said a sentence that changed everything for me: “Look for the differences — not how we’re alike.” It’s simple, but it completely shifts how we understand autistic communication, behavior, and connection. We Celebrate Acceptance on Screen… But Struggle With It in

Have you ever tried to teach a skill—getting dressed, cleaning up, leaving the house, or even answering a simple question—and your autistic child or student shuts down, resists, or becomes overwhelmed? Most people assume it’s behavior. But what if it’s really expectation? In this week’s vlog, autistic retired Occupational Therapist Susan Golubock and Speech-Language Pathologist Staci Neustadt talk about something most people never realize: even small, invisible expectations

What if I told you that a “good,” compliant, easy” autistic child is not a sign of things going well…but a red flag ? I know—that sentence alone stops people in their tracks. But stay with me. I have heard several times in my two decades as an SLP: “They’ve always been such a good kid. So easy. So compliant. But now everything is suddenly a battle.” They describe a child who once went along with everything…who now refuses, melts down, pushes back, or flat-out says “no.” And